Kawasaki launches Z250 and ER-6n in India!

Japanese two-wheeler giant Kawasaki has been on a product offensive in India since December last year, launching as many as five new motorcycles. While all those bikes were targeted at well-heeled enthusiasts, there weren’t any offerings in the sub-Rs 4 lakh bracket. Today, that void has been plugged. Kawasaki finally launched today their two much-awaited naked motorcycles, the Z250 and the ER-6n.

The Z250 will take over from the Ninja 300as Kawasaki’s new entry-level motorcycle. The bike houses a parallel twin-cylinder 249cc engine that’s liquid-cooled and fuel-injected. Essentially, it is the same motor that did duty in the erstwhile Ninja 250R. It is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox and produces 31.6 bhp at 11,000 rpm and 21 Nm of torque at 10,000 rpm. The naked streetfighter incorporates design characteristics that stem from the larger Z800. The bike is held together by a tube diamond steel frame chassis, with 37mm telescopic fork units on the front and a gas-charged monoshock on the rear with 5-step adjustable preload.

At Rs. 2.99 lakhs (Ex-showroom Delhi), we feel that the Z250 is priced on the higher side, especially when you consider the fact that over 40% of the bike’s components are sourced locally. Rivals include the Suzuki Inazuma and the KTM Duke 390.

The Kawasaki ER-6n is the naked street-oriented version of theNinja 650R sport tourer. The motorcycle does not see any major mechanical changes, still utilizing the same chassis parts and engine, which is a 649cc parallel twin-cylinder unit that churns out 71 bhp of power and 63.7 Nm of torque. The ER-6n will be priced at Rs. 4.78 lakhs (Ex-showroom Delhi), and will compete directly with theHyosung GT650N.